Child&#39;s sleeping garment



Dec. 6, 1955 f V ER CHILDS SLEEPING GARMENT Filed Jan. 29, 1954 IN V E NTO R B l make 2? 561762 ATTORNEY 2,725,567 .f atented Dec. 6, 1955 CHILDS SLEEPING GARMENT Louise H. Bevier, Tarrytown, N. Y. Application January 29, 1954, Serial No. 407,622

2 Claims. (Cl. 283) This invention relates to childrens sleeping garments and, more particularly, to a sleeping garment of the foot enclosing type incorporating novel constructional fea tures substantially increasing the useful life of the garment.

Childrens sleeping garments are usually specially constructed for warmth, generally being tailored from a knitted napped fabric. To provide warmth for the extremities while the child is sleeping, and warmth and protection when the child is running or Walking over a floor, the garments usually have integral foot enclosures of feet, as it is usually somewhat diiiicult to train a young child to put on slippers before stepping onto the floor.

These foot enclosures generally comprise a relatively fiat fabric sole section stitched or thelike to fabric upper sections which may be part of the garment leg or-permanently attached to the latter. Putting on slippers over these foot enclosures is a somewhat difficult operation for a young child, unless the slippers are substantially oversize. if an oversize slipper is put on, the child is all feet. Most of the time, therefore, the child walks around in the garment without slippers, and with the foot enclosures consequently subjected to wear and tear from contact with the floor. Also, the solepieces become so soiled it is difiicult, if not impossible, to get them clean by laundering. Furthermore, the seams connecting the solepieces to the uppers are worn by contact with the floor so that the foot enclosures soon become useless due to loss of stitching and other wear and tear. 'The foot enclosure also becomes worn faster than the rest of the garment due to the excess rubbing required to clean the same during laundering of the garment.

The majority of mothers, when purchasing such garments, usually plan to have them last for one season, at least, and would like, them to last for the following season. For these reasons, the garments are usually purchased a size or two too large, to accommodate the relatively rapid growth of young children. As the garment is thus initially too large, the legs will be too long for the wearer during the first season so that the child will be walking on the lower portion of the garment legs, with the feet of the garment flopping around. This is not only inconvenient to the child but also dangerous.

in recognition of. the foregoing considerations, there has recently been a trend toward incorporating growth features in such garments. As a child, during its early years, grows mainly in length, it is highly desirable to incorporate growth features in the limbs of the garment. However, the growth features have hitherto been limited to the body of the garment and no provision has been made to accommodate growth in the legs and feet. in addition, no provision has been suggested for overcoming theaforementioned objectionable wear and soiling of thefoot enclosures or f eet of the garment.

The'present invention is directed to a novel foot enclosin sleeping garment in which the aforementioned ment leg is firmly supported on the ment;

objections to the foot or sole are obviated and the legs and feet of the garment are arranged to accommodate growth without the loose fitting characteristic of oversize garments and with the garment legs and feet having a conforming fit on the wearers legs and feet.

More specifically, growth in the legs is accommodated by providing an elastic ribbed cuff or anklet connecting each garment leg to its foot enclosure. The ribs of this cuff or anklet extend along the leg so that the cuff or anklet resiliently conforms to the lower leg or ankle in the manner of the similar cuffs provided on balbriggan garments or ski slacks. Thus, the bottom of each garwearers leg just above the foot. This holds the foot enclosure in position on the wearers foot so that there is no flopping around of loose foot portions. The upper portion of the garment leg can then be folded over to hang below the upper edge of the elastic cuff or anklet, giving a neat appearance to even a substantially oversize garment.

An important feature of the garment is the construction of the foot enclosure. This enclosure comprises a sole piece which is substantially larger than thesole of the wearers foot, so as to provide a substantial peripheral'marginal extension around the sole. This margin is then turned up to form a cupped or rimmed sole, and its upper edge is stitched to the lower edge of the elastic cuff or anklet and to the upper or instep covering of the foot enclosure; Thus, the seam uniting the sole piece to the upper is no longer at the floor line but is substantially above the sole piece or floor engaging portion in the wear position and thus always out of contact with the floor. Hence, wear and tear on this seam, due to walking and abrasion by the floor, is eliminated, as well as soilage of the seam. As the seam no longer contacts the sole of the foot, the garment is more comfortable to wear.

Even more importantly, the sole piece comprises a material whose outer surface, at least, is tough and resistant to wear and of a nature such that soil can readily and easily be removed therefrom by laundering, or even by mere wiping off before the child is bedded. A preferred way of imparting these characteristics to the sole piece is to utilize a piece of the same fabric as used in the main part of the garment and, before the material is napped, impregnating the same with a synthetic resinous material, such as a vinyl compound. Preferably, the inner surface of the sole piece is left untreated so as to have a warm feel.

The upper of the foot, extending from the lower forward edge of the anklet to the toe is specially designed to provide for longitudinal expansion of the foot to accommodate growth while providing for a close fit of the foot enclosure on the childs foot. To this end, the upper comprises an elastic, rib knit section joined to the upwardly extending margins of the sole and to the lower forward edge of the anklet, with the ribs extending transversely of the garment foot across the wearers instep. Thus, the upper is elastic or stretchable along the foot assuring the foot being longitudinally expansible to accommodate growth while fitting snugly, if oversize.

For an understanding of the invention principles, reference is made to the following description of a typical embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation view of the lower portion of a childs sleeping garment embodying the invention, the upper portion of the garment being omitted as it forms no part of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a left side elevation view of a responding to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation view of one leg of the gargarment leg, cor- Fig. 4 is an enlarged part side elevational and part sectional view of the foot and lower portion of the leg of the garment, showing how the leg of an oversize garment is neatly folded over the anklet or cuff; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged sectional views, on the correspondingly numbered lines of Fig. 4, illustrating certain features of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as incorporated in a knitted childs sleeping garment 10 which, aside from the invention features, may be of conventional design. As the invention is directed to improvements in the foot enclosures and legs of such a garment, the upper portion of the garment, including the seat, waist, and arms has not been illustrated, as it is not involved in the invention.

In the usual manner of such garments, the garment 11! includes legs 11, 11 joined to body portion 12, or preferably cut from one or more single pieces also including one or more portions of the body. The material of the garment, except as noted hereinafter, is preferably a knitted, napped fabric, providing a good degree of warmth to the wearer. To completely enclose the lower extremities of the wearer, foot enclosures, or feet, generally indicated at 20 and described more fully hereinafter, are joined to legs 11 in a manner to be described.

7 In accordance with the invention, feet 20 are joined to legs 11 by intermediate rib-knit elastic anklet or cuff sections 15, with the ribs 16 to anklets or cuffs 15 extending longitudinally relative to legs 11. The upper margins of anklets 15 are joined to the lower edges of legs 11 by seams generally indicated at 17.

As the ribs 16 of anklets 15 extend longitudinally of legs 11, the anklets are elastic in a direction circumferentially of the legs. Hence, these anklets resiliently grip or firmly engage the ankles or lower leg portions of the wearer, and will stay in adjusted position therealong. Consequently, and as best shown in Fig. 4, the excess length of the legs 11 of an oversize garment can be neatly folded downwardly over anklets 15, at seam 17, as indicated at 13 in Fig. 4.

In donning the garment, anklets 15 are pulled up along the wearers legs an amount sufficient to conform feet 20 to the wearers feet, after which the leg folds 13 are formed. Thus, the feet of an oversize garment are held from flopping around and a neat effect is provided by folds 13 even in a substantially oversize garment.

The construction of feet 20 is an important feature of the invention. Each of these feet, or foot enclosures, is formed of a sole piece and an upper 30. The sole piece 25 is specially treated to reduce its soil pick-up, render it easy to launder, and substantially increase its wear resistance. For this purpose, sole piece 25 is formed of the same fabric as used in the remainder of the garment, but without the napping. The un-napped fabric is impregnated with a suitable synthetic resin, such as a vinyl compound, to form a soil resistant, tough layer 26 on the outer surface of the sole piece. Preferably, the inner surface of sole 25 is left uncoated to provide greater warmth.

In further accord with the invention, the sole piece 25 is cut, from the thus-coated material, to a size substantially larger than the sole of the wearers foot. This leaves a substantial peripheral margin 27 which is turned up all around the sole and stitched, as at 28, to form a cupped or rimmed sole whose upper marginal periphery 29 is substantially above the floor line in the wear position. This margin 29 is stitched to the lower edges of anklet 15 by a seam 21 and to the margin of upper 20 by a seam 22 By virtue of the cup or rimmed shape of sole piece 25, the seams 21 and 22 are substantially above the floor line, as distinguished from the usual construction in which the seams are right at the floor line. Thus, seams 21 and 22 are protected from wear and abrasion. The coating 26 is dense and non-porous, inhibiting soil pickup and facilitating effective laundering. Also, this coating is tough and wear-resistant. Thus, the feet 20 have a life substantially greater than the feet of similar garments as presently constructed. Due to the nature of solepiece 25, the child need not wear slippers over the garment feet.

The upper 30 is designed to provide for longitudinal expansion of the foot to accommodate growth while assuring fitting of the foot enclosures 20. Upper 30 is a rib-knit, elastic element whose ribs 31 extend transversely of foot 20 and of the wearers instep. Thus, upper 30 is elastic longitudinally of foot 20. The upper is stitched to sole piece 25 by seam 22 and to the forward lower edge of anklet 15 by a seam 32. As the wearers foot grows, upper 30 is stretched elastically keeping the foot enclosure 25 in close fitting relation.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. In a knitted fabric sleeping garment of the type having legs terminating in foot enclosures; each of said enclosures consisting of a sole piece and an upper; said sole piece having a floor engaging portion and a peripheral marginal extension, and the upper edge of said peripheral marginal extension being, in the wear position of the garment, spaced substantially above the door engaging portion of said sole piece; means joining said upper to the upper edge of said peripheral marginal extension; laterally stretchable, rib-knit anklet sections joining the foot enclosures to the garment legs and arranged to resiliently clasp the lower portions of a wearers legs to retain the foot enclosures in foot covering position; and means joining said upper and the upper edge of said peripheral marginal extension to the associatedanklet section; the ribs of said anklet sections extending longitudinally of the garment legs; said upper being a rib-knit elastic fabric stretchable longitudinally of the wearers foot and with its ribs extending across the foot.

2. In a knitted fabric sleeping garment of the type having legs terminating in foot enclosures; each of said enclosures consisting of a sole piece and an upper; said sole piece having a floor engaging portion and a peripheral marginal extension, and the upper edge of said peripheral marginal extension being, in the wear position of the garment, spaced substantially above the floor engaging portion of said sole piece; means joining said upper to the upper. edge of said peripheral marginal extension; laterally stretchable, rib-knit anklet sections joining the foot enclosures to the garment'legs and arranged to resiliently clasp the lower portions of a wearers legs to retain the foot enclosures in foot covering position; and means joining said upper and the upper edge of said peripheral marginal extension to the associated anklet section; the ribs of said anklet sections extending longitudinally of the garment legs; said upper being a rib-knit elastic fabric stretchable longitudinally of the wearers foot and with its ribs extending across the foot; and at least the outer surface of said sole piece being impregnated with a synthetic resin composition which is tough, wear-resistant, and capable of being effectively laundered when soiled.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,550,123 Thomas Aug. 18, 1925 1,623,753 Rambo Apr. 5, 1927. 1,982,579 Earn'shaw Nov. 27, 1934 2,121,788 Daiber June 28, 1938 2,279,125 Mintzes Apr. 7, 1942 2,463,296 Moore Mar. 1, 1949 2,465,911 Morgan Mar. 29, 1949 2,571,202 Clyne Oct. 16, 1951 2,586,045 Hoza Feb. 19, 1952 2,605,471 Kephart Aug. 5, 1952 

